Proverbs 17
New American Standard Bible
Contrast of the Upright and the Wicked
17 (A)Better is a dry morsel and quietness with it
Than a house full of [a]feasting with strife.
2 A servant who acts wisely will rule over a son who acts shamefully,
And will share in the inheritance among brothers.
3 The (B)refining pot is for silver and the furnace for gold,
But (C)the Lord tests hearts.
4 An (D)evildoer listens to wicked lips;
A [b]liar pays attention to a destructive tongue.
5 One who mocks the (E)poor taunts his Maker;
One who (F)rejoices at disaster will not go unpunished.
6 (G)Grandchildren are the crown of the old,
And the (H)glory of sons is their fathers.
7 [c](I)Excellent speech is not fitting for a fool,
Much less are (J)lying lips to a prince.
8 A (K)bribe is a [d]charm in the sight of its owner;
Wherever he turns, he prospers.
9 One who (L)conceals an offense seeks love,
But one who repeats a matter (M)separates close friends.
10 A rebuke goes deeper into one who has understanding
Than a hundred blows into a fool.
11 A rebellious person seeks only evil,
So a cruel messenger will be sent against him.
12 Let a (N)person meet a (O)bear robbed of her cubs,
Rather than a fool in his foolishness.
13 One who (P)returns evil for good,
(Q)Evil will not depart from his house.
14 The beginning of strife is like letting out water,
So (R)abandon the quarrel before it breaks out.
15 One who (S)justifies the wicked and one who condemns the righteous,
Both of them alike are an abomination to the Lord.
16 Why is there money in the hand of a fool to (T)buy wisdom,
When [e]he has no sense?
17 A (U)friend loves at all times,
And a brother is born for adversity.
18 A person lacking in [f]sense (V)shakes hands
And becomes guarantor in the presence of his neighbor.
19 One who (W)loves wrongdoing loves strife;
One who (X)makes his doorway high seeks destruction.
20 One who has a crooked [g]mind (Y)finds nothing good,
And one who is [h](Z)corrupted in his language falls into evil.
21 He who (AA)fathers a fool does so to his sorrow,
And the father of a fool has no joy.
22 A (AB)joyful heart [i]is good medicine,
But a broken spirit (AC)dries up the bones.
23 A wicked person accepts a (AD)bribe [j]from an inside pocket
To (AE)pervert the ways of justice.
24 Wisdom is in the presence of one who has understanding,
But the (AF)eyes of a fool are on the ends of the earth.
25 A (AG)foolish son is a grief to his father,
And (AH)bitterness to her who gave birth to him.
26 It is also not good to (AI)fine the righteous,
Nor to strike the noble for their uprightness.
27 One who (AJ)withholds his words [k]has knowledge,
And one who has a (AK)cool spirit is a person of understanding.
28 Even a fool, when he (AL)keeps silent, is considered wise;
When he closes his lips, he is considered prudent.
Footnotes
- Proverbs 17:1 Lit sacrifices of strife
- Proverbs 17:4 Lit falsehood
- Proverbs 17:7 Lit A lip of abundance
- Proverbs 17:8 Lit stone of favor
- Proverbs 17:16 Lit there is no heart
- Proverbs 17:18 Lit heart
- Proverbs 17:20 Lit heart
- Proverbs 17:20 Lit altered in his tongue
- Proverbs 17:22 Lit causes good healing
- Proverbs 17:23 Lit a fold in a robe; i.e., secretly
- Proverbs 17:27 Lit knows
Proverbs 17
Holman Christian Standard Bible
17 Better a dry crust with peace
than a house full of feasting with strife.(A)
2 A wise servant will rule over a disgraceful son
and share an inheritance among brothers.
4 A wicked person listens to malicious talk;[a]
a liar pays attention to a destructive tongue.
5 The one who mocks the poor insults his Maker,(D)
and one who rejoices over calamity
will not go unpunished.(E)
6 Grandchildren are the crown of the elderly,
and the pride of sons is their fathers.
7 Eloquent words are not appropriate on a fool’s lips;
how much worse are lies for a ruler.
10 A rebuke cuts into a perceptive person
more than a hundred lashes into a fool.
12 Better for a man to meet a bear robbed of her cubs(K)
than a fool in his foolishness.
14 To start a conflict is to release a flood;
stop the dispute before it breaks out.(N)
15 Acquitting the guilty and condemning the just(O)—
both are detestable to the Lord.
16 Why does a fool have money in his hand
with no intention of buying wisdom?(P)
17 A friend loves at all times,(Q)
and a brother is born for a difficult time.
19 One who loves to offend loves strife;(S)
one who builds a high threshold invites injury.
20 One with a twisted mind will not succeed,
and one with deceitful speech will fall into ruin.(T)
21 A man fathers a fool to his own sorrow;
the father of a fool has no joy.(U)
22 A joyful heart is good medicine,
but a broken spirit dries up the bones.(V)
24 Wisdom is the focus of the perceptive,
but a fool’s eyes(Y) roam to the ends of the earth.
25 A foolish son is grief to his father
and bitterness to the one who bore him.(Z)
27 The intelligent person restrains his words,(AB)
and one who keeps a cool head[e]
is a man of understanding.
28 Even a fool is considered wise when he keeps silent,
discerning when he seals his lips.(AC)
Footnotes
- Proverbs 17:4 Lit to lips of iniquity
- Proverbs 17:11 Or a merciless angel
- Proverbs 17:18 Lit sense shakes hands
- Proverbs 17:26 Or noble unfairly
- Proverbs 17:27 Lit spirit
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